New planes to boost PAL regional fleet
Flag carrier Philippine Airlines is bolstering its regional fleet as it seeks to ramp up flights in key Asian destinations such as China and Japan.
PAL recently took delivery of the first of 15 Airbus A321neo SR (short range), which has a roomier cabin, flies quieter and burns less fuel than its predecessor, the A321 Classic.
“Our newest A321neo will become the single-aisle mainstay for regional routes, helping PAL in our mission to boost tourism from the high-producing tourist countries in the region such as China, Japan, Korea and our Asean neighbors,” PAL president Gilbert F. Santa Maria said in a statement.
As part of its refleeting, PAL already completed the delivery of six longer-range versions of the A321neos.
The longer-range A321neos have been deployed on nonstop routes to Brisbane, Papua New Guinea, Sydney and Sapporo, PAL said.
PAL’s A321neo SR has 195 seats in a two-class layout, namely 12 seats in business class and 183 seats in economy.
This offers flyers more space compared to the carrier’s 199-seater A321.
“Our passengers will appreciate the more comfortable layout of the aircraft,” Santa Maria said.
“The A321neo’s new engines, ‘sharklet’ wingtips and other innovations also make the airplane quieter, more efficient and kinder to the environment, which is good news for the planet,” he added.
PAL said every seat in both business and economy sections would have imbedded personal video screens offering movies, TV shows and music. The A321neo SR is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engines, it noted.
PAL’s has 98 planes in its fleet. These are six Airbus A350-900, 10 Boeing 777-300ER widebody jetliners for long-haul routes, 15 Airbus A330s for high-density Asia/Pacific, Australian and Middle Eastern routes, six A321neo longer-range versions, 24 A321 classics, 19 A320s and 10 De Havilland Dash-8-400s, in addition to classic versions of the Q300/400.
